Though They Wander Far from Home
by The Wandering Witch
Summary: KuroxFai ON INDEFINITE HIATUS Fai finds himself living in a nightmare in Yasha's camp, Kuro finds out what has been happening. How will this change their relationship and just what has Fai been hiding in his past?Yaoi, noncon, lime
1. Where the winds will blow

Disclaimer: No I do not own the characters featured herein, nor the anime they come from. But I still love them, and of course love to torture them.

Pairing: KuroganexFai Warnings: Yaoi (that means Male and Male), Lemons (That means graphic sex), non-con/rape, and of course, seeing as they are guys, there will be anal.

A/N: I'm trying to keep this IC but of course it deals with situations that aren't mentioned in the anime so how the characters react is only our best guess. (Plus my mind has probably been warped by reading too much fanfic.) Ive seen quite a few based on the time in Yasha's camp and none of them really hit the spot so here I am, writing my own. Not only that but I hope this turns into a long fic. It won't be all smut though if that's what you're looking for I'll try to post which chapters to go to as I update. 

Due to my guideline abiding nature, though I will be posting this on a variety of fanfic sites for your reading pleasure, I will only post the NC-17 content on adultfanfiction(dot)net. On all other sites I will edit those areas down to the appropriate rating per site. So if you want more explicit then I will put a link in my profile to the corresponding profile on AFF and if you're already reading on AFF then hello and welcome to the good stuff!  
Now, sorry for my rambling and on with the show!

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Chapter One : Where the winds will blow

Kurogane raised his head and began cursing the white manju-bun not only for landing him on his face, but doing so in the middle of a battlefield. He glared at the chuckling magician at his back as he raised himself to his feet to survey their surroundings. 

The nearby soldiers had paused briefly in shock at their sudden appearance but had by then returned to fighting their opponents. Kurogane began to draw his sword with a smirk, prepared to join the fray but stopped as Fai put a hand on his shoulder. The magician just smiled at him and shook his head, this fight was not their fight.

Just as he was preparing to ignore the man everything around them began to change and before they knew it they were standing in a completely different place. The fighting around them had ceased and the soldiers began picking up their wounded and moving away.

Kuro blinked in dumbfounded shock, "What just happened?" Before Fai could answer they were approached by three men on horseback.

"Who are you? State your business, you are not a part of this army. Are you spies for Ashura," barked out the man on the right. The moon hung high overhead, full enough to illuminate the men and their surroundings. Based on his looks Kuro judged him to be the Warmaster of the army. His armor was heavy and full of dents. What little skin could be seen through the armor was completely scar-ridden. He sported a full beard of brown hair that only helped to make him look gruffer.

Kuro took a sidelong glance at his blonde companion who only smiled and shrugged at him, leaving Kuro to answer the Warmaster, "We are not spies for any army, we are warriors who have been traveling, though I'm not sure how we ended up here," his eyes quickly surveyed the other two men to size up what kind of trouble they were in, but froze on the man at the back.

Kuro bowed his head slightly, "You are King Yasha, are you not?"

Yasha rode his horse forward and nodded at Kuro, "I am."

"We have heard of your cause, my lord. Allow us to join your army for a time. We have been separated from our traveling companions and would like to stay in one spot for a time so that we may find them easier," said Kuro, thinking that if they landed here, the kids couldn't be far off.

Yasha remained silent, his eyes traveling over Kuro and Fai, judging them. "Your companion does not look like much of a warrior, but if you'd like you may stay with my army and fight with us come nightfall." He turned to the Warmaster, "I shall leave them to you," and then moved away with the other horseman.

The Warmaster looked rather skeptically at Kuro but shrugged. "Ryu!" He shouted, and a small boy came running forward. "See these two to Quartermaster Shin and make sure they are given uniforms and a tent. Then make sure they know where the practice yards are. I will see you two in the morning," and with that he rode off, leaving them to follow the boy.

The boy bowed to them and headed off without saying a word, only gesturing them to follow. Kuro and Fai fell in behind him. The other soldiers had mostly cleared out and only a few stragglers were nearby. Kuro turned to look at Fai, who still had that damned smile plastered to his face. Kuro just shook his head and muttered, "Why do you always have to smile like that?"

"Kuro-puu," sang the magician, but following that, the only word Kuro understood was Mokona's name. The warrior blinked at Fai as it dawned on him why the magician had been so quiet. The blonde didn't understand a damned thing said around him. Kuro could understand the language, but not Fai.

"So that was why you were so quiet, I think I could like it here." Fai continued smiling, nodding at the look of comprehension on Kuro's face. He babbled a string of seeming nonsense. Kuro's smirk faded though as the babbling continued.

"Guess quiet is too much to ask for from you," he grumbled. Fai continued his torrent as they walked, unconcerned that Kuro couldn't understand him. Finally, after an annoyed eternity for Kuro, they reached the top of a hill and looked down on the camp. Fai finally quieted, smiling at the curious looks from nearby soldiers.

The camp was large, but well organized. In the center could be seen larger buildings, forming a circle. The circular formation clearly continued throughout though dispersed at the edges, where it was obvious that the soldiers tents were placed. Kuro only nodded to himself in satisfaction, happy to be helping such a well run army.

They continued following the boy, weaving among the tents, and were soon ushered inside one of the larger inner tents. There they were issued clothing, and other supplies, then ushered back out with barked orders from the Quartermaster to lead them to an open tent. The boy had soon given them a tour of all the necessary buildings and practice yards before dropping the two men off at an unoccupied tent.

Kuro nodded to himself once again after surveying the tent. It was spacious enough that the two of them wouldn't get in each others way, and well furnished. Kuro plopped down on one of the futons and without a thought to Fai, fell fast asleep.

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Fai watched Kuro's sleeping form and smiled to himself, a genuine smile. It seemed that Kuro had found a place where he felt comfortable. Fai, moved to his own futon and lay down. He had watched Kuro since their arrival a few nights ago. The man was in his element. He moved with such confidence, on the practice field, the battlefield, or just moving though the camp. The other soldiers got along easily with Kuro and it seemed as if he'd quickly become one of them. Their gazes were filled with approval, and in a few cases awe.

A frown crossed Fai's face when he thought of what those gazes held when turned towards him. It couldn't be argued that Fai was a good fighter, the fact that he couldn't wield a sword though was met with some disapproval. The magician could best most of the men he sparred with, but could also hear the muttering of the other men, he couldn't understand them exactly, but Fai got the gist. He was a coward, the way he danced around his opponents, moving in and out. He couldn't stand and fight like a man.

What was worse than the disapproval was the lust in their gazes. He was tall, but thin and limber. His features smooth and more feminine than those of his rough companions. He had already turned down a couple of advances, but his smiles and his silence weren't enough to deter them. Today he had had to escape an attack from a couple of men. Though the blonde achieved this easily, Fai was afraid that next time it might not be so simple.

Fai had noticed the looks the first night they had arrived, and had stuck close to Kuro the first couple of days. But it was more than obvious to him that he was unwanted, both by Kuro and the other men around him. Though in Kuro's defense the man obviously didn't approve of the other soldier's thoughts towards Fai. When one man had grabbed hold of the magician, leering at him on the first day, that man had soon found himself unconscious with one swing of Kuro's fist.

Kuro had given him a worried glance, but Fai had smiled at him and shrugged it off. Since then no one had made any advances when Kuro was around, but quite often the warrior wasn't. So Fai was enduring, though he swore to himself, tomorrow he would stay close to Kuro a bit, despite how annoyed Kuro would be. 

Though he knew in the end, Kuro would probably shake him off before the day was through. The only time the other man stayed near him was on the battlefield, and that only because they were so used to fighting together that they made a good team.

Fai glanced over at Kuro one more time before snuggling into his futon and letting himself sleep. 


	2. And the roads all pass through darkness

Disclaimer: No I do not own the characters featured herein, nor the anime they come from. But I still love them, and of course love to torture them.

Pairing: KuroganexFai

Warnings: Yaoi (that means Male and Male), Lemons (That means graphic sex but only on AFF otherwise it'll be lime), non-con/rape, and of course, seeing as they are guys, there will be anal.

A/N: Just to clarify, though the details of Kuro and Fai's time in Yasha's camp are not featured in the anime, I do make the assumption that you had seen episodes 33-36. If so then you should know (SPOILER WARNING) that Fai and Kuro land in a different place than Sakura and Syaoran. Fai and Kuro come across the statue of Yasha and hear a bit about him from the priest who showed them the statue, while Sakura and Syaoran see the statue of Ashura. Thus that's how Kuro recognizes Yasha, after all, in the anime Syaoran recognized Ashura on sight.

Anyways, that was just to attempt to clear up any confusion, feel free to tell me if it isn't good enough. I'm really going to try to write a chapter a day unless I become really inspired and/or have free time to write more.

I'm hoping the fight scene in this chapter doesn't require too much imagination, but I figure Fai is really flexible and can do things that most of us couldn't.

Sorry for posting this so late in the day but I kept getting writers block, knew where I wanted to go but wasn't sure how to get there. Tomorrow I have school and so that chapter (which is the really fun and graphic one that I'm looking forward to) is DEFINITELY going to be posted really late in the day. It's gonna suck having to write two different versions of tomorrow's chapter, but I'll try and get the lime up first and then expand to the lemon for AFF (truthfully I'm not sure how to differentiate between them, I might have to do some reading).

Italics are specific thoughts – like talking in your head

Pillories are like stocks, both are from the medieval ages, but the pillory is where only the head and wrists are locked into place with wooden boards and the prisoner is forced to stand slumped over like that. Sounded like it would be fun, ya know?

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Chapter Two: And the roads all pass through darkness

Fai stepped out of the showers, stretching his muscles. It felt good to have some quiet and privacy. It was early morning but the sky was still dark and most of the camp still slept so Fai had had the showers to himself. A small blessing since all the men showered together with no stalls. 

The first time Fai had gone to the showers he learned that it was not a good place for him to be. Though the men there hadn't tried anything, the feeling of their eyes on his body had made him feel sick, not that Fai didn't like men, he was just more of a romantic type. These men just wanted a body, they had probably gone months with no contact with women. 

Women weren't aloud in the camp and for good reason. Most of the men in the army had joined because they enjoyed the blood lust. Some had joined out of a feeling of duty to their country, but they weren't the ones eying the blonde. 

Fai repressed a shudder at the thought of what might happen if one of those war lovers managed to pin him down. He'd been hurt enough in his past and felt no obligation to ever let it happen again.

The magician shrugged off the dark thoughts that pressed at his mind and walked towards his tent, humming to himself, his ever present smile still plastered on his face. He began thinking about the man who would probably still be asleep in their tent and chuckled to himself. As he turned a corner though he came face to face with the two men who had attacked him the day before.

The first man was rather short and fat, with a balding head and jagged scar that cut across from one temple, through a dead eye and across the bridge of his nose. The other was almost a giant, with an extra foot on top of Fai's own height, and muscles that would make a bull jealous.

They began laughing and saying something that Fai wished he could understand. He ducked suddenly at the sound of something swinging through the air behind him and lashing out with his feet he knocked down two men who had come to attack him from behind.

Fai had been afraid this might happen, that they would retaliate with more people. The scar-faced warrior came flying at the blonde while he was still low to the ground in some hope to pin him down but Fai dodged the man, coming back up to his feet only to be grabbed from behind by the bull.

The magician lifted his own feet off the ground, kicking the giant in the knee caps and using the push that gave to flip over, simultaneously slipping down out of the man's loosening grasp and kicking him in the face.

As the large man fell backwards, Fai landed gracefully on his feet, smirking at the three men who were now left over. One of the men who had attacked him from behind made a hasty retreat, disappearing among the tents. That leaves two, thought Fai in satisfaction.

The fat man just folded his arms and scowled at Fai as the other attacker rushed forward swinging a katana. Fai shook his head, didn't these men have any sense of a fair fight?

Dancing away from his attacker, Fai dropped low to the ground to wipe the feet out from under the man. The katana went flying as the man hit the ground, gasping to catch his breath.

Fai rose and took a few steps back, his smile growing as he looked at the fat warrior left over. A booming voice rang out from behind the blonde and he turned to see the warmaster of the army approaching along with the attacker that had run away. Scarface began gesturing wildly at Fai and the two men lying on the ground near him.

This was not good, thought Fai, as his smile dropped briefly. Two other soldiers came forward to stand at either side of Fai, taking him by the arms and dragging him off to follow in the wake of the retreating warmaster.

Fai turned to look at the fat man who had attacked him. The man just smirked at him and the blonde's guards jerked him forward. The group gathered a following as they made their way towards the center of the camp. Inter spaced randomly outside of the main circle the camp were the pillories, where those who committed some sort of crime or indiscretion were sent to be punished for anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days.

Fai's heart stopped when the warmaster stopped in front of these and began to make an announcement to the gathered crowd, no doubt about how Fai had attacked some of his own comrades. The magician tried to struggle with his two guards, but due to their extra muscle he was soon forced into place, his hands now mostly useless though, he could reach forward a little.

Fai was now left standing hunched over, trapped between two very solid pieces of wood, his hands and head locked into place. He tried struggling briefly but found that the device to be an apt punishment for warriors. It was strong enough that even the toughest and wildest of men would find no escape. 

The pillory was too low down for Fai, leaving the magician with the choice of either half squatting, which he couldn't do for long, or he'd have to leave his rear end sticking up into the air. He shuddered at the thought of what that might bring.

Looking out into the surrounding crowd, the magician spotted Kuro storming over to the warmaster. As the two men spoke the crowd seemed to grow less interested and began thinning. Fai watched Kuro arguing and prayed that he might be able to escape this situation, or get off easy with little time. The warmaster seemed to be adamant in his argument though and soon Kuro was marching over to Fai looking very displeased.

The warrior stood and stared at Fai, shaking his head. A few times he tried to speak but ended up only frowning at the look of confusion on Fai's face. Fai gave the red-eyed man a smile which only caused him to shake his head more and mutter something. 

Kuro leaned down face to face with Fai and held up three fingers, saying something. Fai blinked at him. Three hours? He could stand that, but then Kuro pointed to the sun, drew a circle with his fingers and held up the three fingers again. Fai could feel his stomach drop. Three days! He watched his companion turn to walk away and began to panic.

"Kurogane-san, please!" Fai pushed his arms as far forward as he could, barely brushing the fabric of Kuro's tunic. Kuro turned to look at him, frowning down at him. 

"Please don't leave me here," whispered Fai, fear and desperation twisting inside of him, he could only hope his plea reached home despite the language barrier.

A look of concern crossed Kuro's face, he leaned down again taking one of Fai's hands. The raven haired man began to speak in a gentle tone and though Fai couldn't understand he was sure that Kuro was saying he'd try to help him. Fai didn't think Kuro knew why he was so scared, but he felt slightly comforted just the same.

Kuro let go of his hand, spoke of few more words and was gone, leaving Fai to his thoughts, and to hope nothing would happen.

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Kuro sat picking at his food and denying that he was actually worried about the blonde magician who was now locked between two solid boards of wood. The damned man had brought this on himself by fighting and there was nothing Kuro could do about it right now.

He knew that the boy who had escorted them around the camp would be responsible for making sure Fai got food, and two guards would let him out twice a day to take care of more personal business and allow him to stretch out a bit. After all, the punishment wasn't intended as torture, nor was the army going to permanently deprive itself of any warriors.

Fai was actually lucky, fighting was usually punishable in a more severe manner, or apparently in Fai's case attacking others. But Kuro had argued with the gruff warmaster in Fai's favor. Kuro just couldn't believe that Fai had attacked those men without cause.

Unfortunately, one of the men who had been involved was Commander Shozu. The man was a leader of his unit, having earned the place after a nasty battle where he had not only taken out half of an enemy unit, but lost the use of an eye as well. So based on Shozu's word Fai was punished but the other men only got off with a small warning not to mess with someone who was so unbalanced.

Unbalanced... that was how Head Warmaster Mizuro had described Fai. Mizuro was the warmaster they had met on the first day and he and Kuro had developed a healthy respect for each other in the few days since Kuro had joined the army. Kuro had attempted to get Fai's punishment reduced and had succeeded to some degree.

Mizuro's original plan had been to leave Fai in the pillory for three days on top of 20 lashes each day. Kuro had managed to get the lashes knocked out and hoped to speak with Mizuro again the next day to try and get Fai out early.

No matter how Kuro argued though, there was no way he could convince the warmaster that Fai had not attacked those men. The general consensus among the soldiers was that Fai was unnatural. His fighting style, his silence, and his smiles led the other men to feel uncomfortable around Fai. The way he avoided the everyone and fought like a daemon on the battlefield led everyone Kuro had talked to to believe that Fai was mentally unstable.

This attack only confirmed it for Warmaster Mizuro, but Kuro couldn't help but feel a little guilty. The magician was stuck in an unfamiliar place and the only person he knew couldn't communicate with him. Not only that but Kuro had left him alone for the most part, ignoring the blonde's presence. It wasn't Kuro's fault that the damned magician found ways to annoy him even if they couldn't understand each other.

Kuro shook his head and finally gave up trying to eat. He left his tent and began to walk to the practice yards, intent on getting some practice and clearing the thoughts of his companion from his head. During all of their travels Fai had remained aloof from their little group, not just hiding his past, but also himself behind those smiling lips.

Fai was still a part of the group and for that reason Kuro felt himself drawn to protect his lithe companion. But Fai was also capable of taking care of himself and if he had gotten himself into this mess then he only deserved getting some of what came to him. Maybe next time he would pay more attention to who he picked fights with.

But Kuro couldn't help remembering Fai's eyes this morning, so wide and full of fear. It was one of the rare times the warrior had heard his full name from those lips. Kuro tried to deny that there would be any reason for his magician to have that look in his eyes, to sound that helpless, then Kuro blinked at himself. Since when had Fai become HIS magician?

A strange feeling curled in Kuro's stomach as his thoughts were drawn to the first day, when a soldier had grabbed Fai making remarks of what a good pet Fai would be, then began describing what he'd like to do to a body like Fai's. Even if Fai couldn't understand what was said, there was no mistaking the hunger in the soldier's eyes and the sadistic grin on his face.

Fai had had the same kind of panic in his eyes then, surprised enough that he only seemed able to stand there and take it. Kuro's rage was so strong that he hadn't even realized he had hit the guy until someone pointed at the man lying on the floor.

There had been a few remarks since then about the effeminate blonde from people who either hadn't heard of what happened to the first man or who didn't realize that Kuro was within earshot. All of those men soon found themselves having an intimate meeting with the floor.

Kuro shook the thoughts from his head as he reached the practice yards. Fai would be fine and Kuro promised himself that he would visit the blonde the next day after speaking with Mizuro. With that Kuro joined in training some new recruits and lost all thought of anything but the sword in his hands.

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P.S. Watch the chapter titles, I'm writing a poem with them and trying to make each line go with the chapter in some artistic way. The first line is the title of the story. 


	3. Through Nights of Pain and Sorrow

Disclaimer: No I do not own the characters featured herein, nor the anime they come from. But I still love them, and of course love to torture them. 

Pairing: KuroganexFai

Warnings: Yaoi (that means Male and Male), Lemons (That means graphic sex but only on AFF otherwise it'll be lime), non-con/rape, and of course, seeing as they are guys, there will be anal.

IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ SOME HOPEFULLY VIOLENT RAPE SCENES THEN SKIP THIS CHAPTER! And maybe the next, also remember that one person's idea of violent or explicit material may not be the same as another's.

A/N: In hopes of making my notes shorter I have created a blog pertaining to this fic, just go to my profile and click on my homepage. I'll still post important stuff here but the blog will key you into my progress and other fun ramblings. I'll also post the poem I mentioned in the last chapter. And I really need to learn how to format these damned things... Didn't realize I had lost my italicized comments yesterday.  
This chapter contains a big lemon/lime depending on where you are reading it, two actually. Also contains rape, and lots of it. My poor Fai. Call me evil and I shall be truly flattered. Anyways, enjoy!

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Chapter 3: Through Nights of Pain and Sorrow

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It had been a tense day for Fai; the camp bustled around him though rarely did anyone really pass through his little area. Every set of footsteps had put him on the edge, especially with his limited range of vision but the day had ended up passing without event.

The camp was now empty, the army gone off to battle. His guards had come to let him out to stretch shortly before they had left. Fai was allowing himself to relax, leaning as casually as he could considering his position.

He hadn't seen his red-eyed companion since that morning and hoped the man would come visit after the army returned. There was nothing Kuro could do for him at the moment, but seeing a familiar face would put him at ease. As if the thought had summoned the man, Fai heard heavy footsteps approaching from behind.

"Kuro-san?" He whispered, hoping it was only his friend returning from battle, though he couldn't hear any other sounds in the camp.  
He was answered with a finger running down his spine and tugging lightly at the waistline of his pants. He could feel his heart stopping as he flinched away from the touch. His unseen tormentor let out a low chuckle before Fai felt knuckles meeting his delicate vertebrae and his back exploded in pain.

As Fai squeezed his eyes shut, gasping for air and trying to will the pain away he heard his assailant move around in front of him. Blue eyes opened to gaze up at a smirking scar-faced bastard, which is exactly what Fai proceeded to call the man. That was NOT what he'd meant by a familiar face.

The fat bastard grabbed a fist full of Fai's hair, pulling his head up, pressing his neck painfully against the wood that held him captive. The man leaned down, his leering face filling Fai's vision, and began to speak in a low patronizing voice.

Fai's head was jostled around as the man shook the fist containing his hair. His head was thrown down and Fai suppressed a whimper knowing there was no escape. Footsteps retreated behind him and he could feel hands brushing down his sides and grasping his hips. He tried to jerk his hips away only to be roughly forced back into place and earning himself a fist in his side.

As Fai tried to recover himself, hoping a rib hadn't just been broken, he felt one of the hands move down to brush the inside of his thigh before grasping his balls and squeezing, he shifted, whimpering as fingers dug into his hip, reminding him of his helplessness. Fai realized that the scarred warrior wasn't just looking for a ride; he was looking for a pet, someone who he'd have complete power over, and that someone was Fai.

Fai clenched his teeth together, unwilling to give this man what he wanted, but unable to do anything but not give him the satisfaction of hearing Fai's distress. The magician closed his eyes and tried to block out what was happening to him, to pretend he didn't feel the hands roaming over his body, claiming him.

But as Fai felt his tormentor press his desire into one of his thighs and slowly begin to pull down the blonde's pants he broke and began to struggle in desperation. His wrists were scrapped raw as he tried to pull his hands free, and he began kicking behind him, trying to find a mark. The other man growled and grabbed one of Fai's ankles, twisting it painfully forcing him to cry out before dropping it and punching Fai multiple times until Fai finally stopped struggling, too overwhelmed with the pain.

The blonde felt his pants being jerked down and his hips roughly pulled into place by callused hands. Fingers dug into his hips again, emphasizing the other man's rage and Fai felt tears finally beginning to run down his face. He'd brought this on himself, before the man had only been playing with him, now it seemed he truly wanted to hurt him. Fai sobbed as he felt something being pressed against his opening, all his muscles tensing awaiting his punishment.

The fat warrior growled something before shoving himself all the way into Fai, forcing the thin magician to cry out once again, sobbing as pain shot through his body overwhelming all other senses. For an eternity that was all he felt as the man thrust violently into him, occasionally a fist would come down on his spine, making Fai's vision spin.

Through the blonde's own cries he could hear the warrior's grunts and moans. As he felt a warm liquid begin rolling down his thighs, his own blood, the violent thrusts reached their peak the other man ripping into him and spilling his seed inside Fai's battered body. The warrior collapsed on top of him, huffing to catch his breath before pulling out and pulling Fai's pants up. The man came around in front of Fai and grasping the magician's face roughly in one hand he growled a warning before retreating, leaving Fai dazedly staring after him.

It was some time before Fai came back to his senses, his aching body drawing him back from the shock of what had happened.

It wasn't like this had never happened before, he thought. He was still just as helpless and pathetic as ever before. There was no denying it.

Fai listened as the sounds of the camp around him grew. The army had returned. He could hear laughter nearby and raucous voices but no one came near him. He cringed internally at so much activity, afraid that each noise might be someone coming towards him. After an hour things seemed to quiet down as the soldiers settled in for sleep.

The moon was high in the sky, it was always late when they returned from battle. The magician began to wonder how and if he would sleep. His bruised body longed for a soft bed where he could curl up and heal, his mind rebelled at the idea of closing his eyes. He was already vulnerable enough without him becoming unaware of his surroundings.

The blonde tensed as he heard footsteps behind him, the sound of his heart pounding in his ears almost drowning out the sound. His blue eyes closed and Fai tried to fight down the panic as the steps moved around in front of him and stopped.

"Fai-san?" The magician's eyes blinked open at the voice and Fai's body sagged in relief. Kuro's worried face peered down on him as Fai blinked up at the man, ideas of how to communicate what had happened flying through his head.

Kuro would figure it out and save him from further torment, the red-eyed warrior would protect him. But then memories passed through Fai's mind of a night already passed, when he and Kuro had sat together in a bar in Outo Country. Kuro had said that people should rescue themselves and not wait for someone else to do it. He had scoffed when Fai said he had been waiting for someone to come take him away.

The warrior's concerned voice broke through his thoughts causing Fai to blink, his smiling mask spread over his face, hiding his pain, hiding his shame. The man in front of him already hated him enough, Fai couldn't bring himself to further lower himself in Kuro's eyes. The look of concern on Kuro's face changed to one of disgust. The warrior muttered at him and walked off.

Fai continued to stare at the the spot where his red-eyed warrior had stood for hours after the man had left, apologizing over and over in his mind for all of his faults.

His mind was so preoccupied that the next time footsteps approached he didn't register the sound until movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention. Scarface stepped out of the shadows followed by his three friends who had helped get Fai into this situation. The four men began laughing when Fai clenched his fists and swore at them. Scarface moved to Fai and grabbed him by the hair again as the other three moved out of sight.

Rough hands pulled down his pants causing a whimper to escape Fai's lips. The men all laughed and scarface began gloating over him, the man's meaty fingers shaking Fai's head back and forth as he spoke. The magician felt his pants being pulled down roughly before someone pressed their erection against him and soon pain was exploding though his body.

When the blonde's mouth opened to cry out, fingers were pressed into his mouth, holding down his tongue and strangling the sound. Fai could only moan, inciting another round of laughter. He tried to fight back the urge to gag.

The man behind him pounded into him, ripping open wounds that had barely begun to heal. Tears streamed down the magician's face. He squeezed his eyes shut and sobbed, each thrust drove another round of pain into him. The man soon spent himself, sagging and leaning his weight on Fai before pulling out.

Fai gasped, trying to catch his breath when the next man thrust into him subjecting Fai to more pain. The man grasped Fai's hips and dug his fingers into the same spots that Scarface had earlier, digging into the bruises.

As soon he was done came the third one, giving Fai no break to try to recover himself. But the third man was worse than the others, it was obvious from the feel of the huge hands on his hips that this was the giant he had encountered.

The blonde didn't have any time to prepare himself before the giant thrust into him, ripping him wider open than any of the others. Each thrust made Fai whimper and come dangerously close to passing out. Large hands moved under his tunic, coming to rest on his shoulders, leveraging the large man to thrust deeper and harder, nails digging into Fai's shoulders.

The man dragged his nails down Fai's back, shoving in one last time as he finally spent himself. The consuming pain of all that had happened nearly causing Fai to vomit all over himself. His body sagged and Fai would have passed out at that time had the fat man in front of him not jerked his head violently to get his attention, he was vaguely aware of the men cleaning up behind him and pulling his pants back up.

Scarface grinned at him, whispering in his mocking voice. Fai watched as the man pointed to Fai, then to himself and Fai understood. He belonged to this man, this man who had broken the spirit that Fai had so desperately been trying to protect, the spirit that had already been so fragile, his spirit.

The magician nodded, closing his eyes in defeat as the man ran a rough finger down his cheek. Scarface and his buddies left, chuckling all the way, leaving behind a shattered soul and broken body.

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A/N: So I didn't think that was especially explicit, and not nearly as violent to Fai as I'd like it to be, but then maybe I need to step back and read it later to better gauge it.

Do me a favor and rate both the violence and explicit nature on a 1-10scale so I can get an idea of the people reading this. Plus tell me if you want it to be more or less on each.

Also notes like this will be posted on my blog from now on so do check it out that way I can get some active feedback from people. Thanks! (I just don't want to up my word count cause of A/Ns)


	4. They Will Stumble Forward

Disclaimer: No I do not own the characters featured herein, nor the anime they come from. But I still love them, and of course love to torture them.

Pairing: KuroganexFai

Warnings: Yaoi (that means Male and Male), Lemons (That means graphic sex but only on AFF otherwise it'll be lime), non-con/rape, and of course, seeing as they are guys, there will be anal.

A/N: There's a very long thanks to my reviewers in my blog...

Let's all pretend they had modern showers with running water, cause I don't feel like going with the more authentic buckets of water.

I'm not too happy with the third section, so please forgive me if it's not my best, I especially gave up on the pronouns so it might be a little annoying to read. I got stuck on that section. And sorry for being so late, but on the bright side it's like twice as long as other chapters.

Now, on with the torture... I mean, story!

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Chapter 4: They Will Stumble Forward

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Kuro woke earlier than usual the next morning intent on finding Warmaster Mizuro to convince him to release Fai. As he walked towards the center of camp, the warrior could hear Mizuro's voice off to his right and thanked his luck that the man was so easy to find. He was surprised to find the man in discussion with Commander Shozu right in front of his captive companion, who was dazedly blinking up at the two men as if they had woken him up.

Mizuro nodded his acknowledgment as Kuro walked up. "Good morning, Kurogane-san. I was just about to come find you, I had some news that you will be pleased with," he said, nodding towards Shozu, "Commander Shozu has graciously decided he is willing to drop the charges against your friend."

Shozu nodded, smiling lazily at Kuro and glancing over at Fai whose eyes widened but smiled his goofy smile back. "There's something wrong with that boy," said the fat man.

Mizuro turned to Kuro, "I'm more than happy to release him if you will keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't get into any more trouble."

Shozu frowned and interrupted Mizuro, "Are you sure that you should let him do that? He is an outsider."

"Outsider or not Kurogane-san has proven himself in battle and he is more familiar with this man, so I will entrust him to watching over his friend."

"I would be more than happy to keep an eye on him, but I just do not think it best to leave it to an outsider," said Shozu, obviously displeased with the way things were turning out, but the warmaster's patience was quickly growing thin.

"I have said that Kurogane-san can watch over his companion and that is final." He glared at the commander, waiting to see if he would continue to protest, but Shozu only nodded.

"Yes sir, I will accept your judgment, now if you'll excuse me I should be going to practice," with that the scarred warrior stormed out of the clearing. Mizuro walked over to the pillory, pulling out a set of keys. He gestured for Kuro to come over.

"You may wish to help him, he will most likely be a bit unsteady after spending a night like this." Kuro nodded and caught Fai as the smaller man slid out of the pillory. He pulled one thin arm around his neck to support the man and bowed his thanks to the warmaster who waved him on his way.

Fai blinked up at him and smiled widely making Kuro roll his eyes. The warrior began to half drag the blonde back towards their tent, thankful that he didn't babble the whole way there.

"I don't know what you could be smiling for, I can't imagine that you actually got any sleep like that and you probably ache like hell," he muttered. He had to admit that the magician was acting off, but he was probably just tired. Kuro dragged Fai into their tent and carefully lowered the magician into a chair.

That's when he spotted it, as he was about to let go of Fai's arm he noticed the raw skin around Fai's wrist and grabbed a hold of his hand, pulling back the sleeve to get a better look.

"Why the hell did you do that to yourself?" He asked angrily, holding the wrist up in front of Fai's face, but the magician just smiled his fake smile at him and shrugged, withdrawing his hand from the warrior's grasp. Kuro grabbed the other hand and examined that wrist as well, shaking his head and muttering under his breath about people who didn't take care of themselves.

The warrior crossed the tent to grab a clean uniform, shoving it at Fai and pulling the man out of the chair to turn him towards the entrance of the tent. He put a hand on Fai's shoulder, ready to lead the man to the showers but was startled when Fai let out small cry and violently jerked away. Kuro could only stare at the magician who babbled something quickly, holding up the clothes and almost running out of the tent, smile still intact.

Kuro continued staring at the entrance of the tent, too shocked to do anything else. What the hell had that been? What was going on with Fai? Nothing that had happened in the past two days had made any sense to the warrior. First Fai supposedly attacks other soldiers, then the panicked gaze, then last night Fai had looked genuinely happy to see Kuro only to end up giving him the fake smile, now this.

Puzzled just wasn't a strong enough word for what Kuro was feeling. He vowed that he would find answers. He would figure out what was wrong with Fai, and so he sat down to wait for the magician's return.

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Fai walked into the showers to find them surprisingly empty. He carefully peeled off his clothes and began taking account of the damage done. There was surprisingly little blood, much less than he had expected, his panicked mind having exaggerated every sensation the night before. His hips were covered with bruises that ran all the way up his sides and along his shoulders. The magician carefully felt at his ribs, breathing a sigh of relief that though bruised, none felt broken.

The muscles of his back protested as the blonde reached behind himself, feeling the raised welts from the scratches. He was sure that his back was just as black and blue as the rest of him.

The hot water of the shower felt like heaven to the battered man as he stepped in, letting it wash away the blood and grime, the tainted feeling that had been left on his skin after being touched by those men. Fai scrubbed at himself, wanting to wash away the feeling of their hands, but being careful enough not to hurt his tender flesh.

He turned his attention to washing away the blood that continued to stick to his thighs, as well as the cum that had seeped out of him. The blonde shuddered at the thought of what had filled him the night before and he could feel a tear roll down his cheek, soon lost among the shower water.

More than any other pain, the pain of the wounds hidden away inside of him were the worst, both the ones hidden deep in his flesh as well as the ones in his soul. He briefly wished his red-eyed warrior was there, willing to soothe away the magician's pain.

He could feel his cheeks turn red at his reaction to the warrior's hand on his shoulder and cursed himself. There was no telling what the man thought of that. Kuro's hand had come down rather hard on a very big bruise which Fai had not been prepared for.

It was just as well that the man hadn't come with him anyways. Considering Kuro's reaction to the state of Fai's wrists the blonde grimaced to think what the warrior would do if he saw the rest of Fai's body. Though he wouldn't have minded if the man had come to stand guard outside of the showers.

The water ran over pale, bruised skin, the outer shell of a hollow body. In truth, Fai had stopped thinking of himself as human a long time ago, if he ever had thought that in the first place. The magician thought of himself as an object, the only meaning in his life was to please others. If he couldn't do that much, then he was a failure. Everything about the blonde was weak, his emotions, his body, everything that is, except for his magic.

But even that magic was useless to him now. Without his tattoo, Fai couldn't use the core of his magic and didn't want to think of what would happen if he tried. That made Fai even more useless, worthless, a completely pathetic excuse for a human. The magician felt himself sliding to the floor at those thoughts, a familiar feeling filling him, filling the void that existed under his skin. His chest burst with agony and tears began to flow down his cheeks.

This was the reason he deserved all of the pain that came to him. It was the reason he hid himself, not wanting to subject his companions to the emptiness, to the ugliness that was inside of him. All this broken man could do was give everything of himself to others, and hope it would make up for his very existence.

Fai sat, naked, on the shower floor, staring at nothing as the water cascaded over him and trying to end the tears that just wouldn't stop, but his continuing mantra of self-hatred wouldn't allow it. He was startled out of his self-inflicted torture when a hand moved over him, turning the knob to shut off the water. But the hand was not Kuro's and he choked back a sob, knowing who stood over him even before the man began to chuckle.

The blonde slowly looked over his shoulder, up at the man who towered over him, and tried to scoot away only to end up with his back against the cold wall. Scarface squatted down in front if him, filling Fai's vision and making him feel trapped, speaking to him in that unknown language. The magician could only cower against the wall, too broken and scared to think of fighting back.

He closed his eyes and swallowed hard as callused fingers trailed down his neck, fingernails moving down and scoring his chest before the man spread Fai's thighs and roughly began to fondle him. The broken man let out a whimper as Scarface dragged him away from the wall, pinning Fai to the ground with one hand and pressing two fingers to the thinner man's entrance. The fat man smiled sadistically at Fai and shoved them in, scissoring his fingers. Fai cried out at the renewed pain caused by the invasion but only continued to lie under the man, trembling.

Scarface chuckled again and spoke to Fai in his gravely voice, sounding pleased. He pulled the fingers out and nodded in satisfaction at the blood, smearing it on Fai's chest to wipe his fingers clean. The man stood and kicked Fai in the side once before leaving.

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Kuro was ready to go look for the magician when Fai finally entered the tent, his head lowered and bangs obscuring his eyes. Kuro's eyes followed the other man observing his careful movements, the night spent hunched over must have been harder on Fai than the warrior had thought. Fai wasn't one to make a big deal about his injuries, but now he was moving like a wounded animal.

The warrior rose from his seat and grabbed a jar off the table by his futon. While Fai had been in the shower Kuro had visited the camp doctor. He'd been given an ointment that helped the skin heal as well as soothe sore muscles, many of the men used it after battle. Kuro put a hand on Fai's arm and gently led the man to a chair. His head still down and eyes obscured by his bangs, Fai let himself be led.

Kuro held the jar in front of Fai but realized he didn't know how to convey what it was for without showing the blonde. He felt like starting with eye contact would be good.

"You going to stare at your lap all day?" The warrior put a finger under Fai's chin and lifted his head so their gazes would meet. Kuro could see that Fai's eyes were rimmed with red as though he'd been crying recently and although that stupid smile was spread across his face Kuro could see hint of fear in those blue eyes. He blinked, thinking that Fai's eyes were darker than he remembered them, but shook it off.

The red-eyed warrior slowly withdrew his finger and knelt in front of Fai, holding up the jar again.

"This will help your wrists and your muscles, not that you understand me," he said, keeping his tone gentle, hoping he could soothe away the pain as well as the fear. Fai watched him curiously as he opened the jar and dipped his fingers in, then took one of Fai's hands and carefully pushed back the sleeve.

He gently began rubbing the ointment into the small, damaged wrists. Although the warrior wasn't looking at Fai's face he didn't miss the look of surprise that the magician gave him. Kuro continued his work on the other wrist, pleased to note that the blonde was definitely beginning to relax.

When he finished, Kuro tried to convey that the magician could apply it to his sore muscles as well, only to receive more looks of confusion. He pointed at the jar, then pointed at Fai's shoulder, "for your back," he tried only to receive a wide-eyed and slightly panicked look from the blonde.

"What the hell is the problem now?" Kuro shoved the jar at Fai, "just take it and use it as you see fit." The warrior shook his head and pointed at Fai, taking one of the magician's wrists in hand, "I wish you could tell me what was going on, why you did this to yourself," he held the wrist up between them and dropped it.

"Or why you've been crying," Kuro brushed a rough finger down Fai's cheek, to emphasize the point. He noticed how Fai tensed up slightly, as if he wanted to flinch away. The blonde smiled at Kuro and babbled something before getting up and leaving the tent.

Kuro grumbled to himself, falling back into the chair. Damned magician, what the hell was going on? Only a blind man wouldn't see that something was happening to the blonde, Kuro just didn't know what. The warrior was sure that if his companion was in more trouble than he could handle he would have tried to tell Kuro.

It wasn't his business to interfere where he wasn't wanted, but that didn't stop the doubt that was growing in his heart. Waiting was not Kuro's strong suit, but Fai would come to him when he was needed. Wouldn't he?

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Fai could feel his heart pounding as he peered out into the darkness around him. He felt as if he'd been walking for hours and couldn't figure out where he was. He could feel someone watching him, making his skin crawl.

Familiar laughter bubbled out of the darkness behind the magician. His breath caught in his chest and he began to run. Trees seemed to sprout out of the darkness around the magician, their limbs trying to grab his clothing, their roots trying to trip him. Fai scrambled frantically forward into the darkness with the laughter all around him.

"Go ahead and run my pet," called out a voice, "you can't escape what you deserve." Fai couldn't breathe anymore, he felt his foot catch on something and went tumbling, landing on his back.

They came out of the darkness, faces fading into recognition. Scarface and his friends stood over him, leering and laughing. "Are you ready for the real fun?" Fai felt himself pulled from the ground, their hands were all over him and he began whimpering.

"You don't like it? Then you should do something about it," the scarred warrior sneered at him, "but you can't can you, you're a coward, a weakling, a worthless piece of meat." The fat man slammed the blonde into a tree, pinning the smaller man with his body. "Or maybe you don't stop it, because you like it, hmm?"

"No," cried Fai, "stop it, please."

Scarface laughed, it bubbled up from his stomach and burst from his mouth, "make us." Fists began flying and once again Fai's world was nothing but pain. He found himself on the ground, the other men standing over him once more, their laughter rolling over him.

"What is going on?" The booming voice silenced the laughing men and Fai nearly sobbed with relief.

Kurogane.

The magician lifted his head from the ground to see Kuro stepping from the darkness, Mokona and the children behind him. "Kuro-san, please," he wheezed, barely able to see through the pain.

Kuro gazed down on him, his face filled with disgust. Behind the warrior the children looked at him with pity and disappointment.

"I can see it now, you're pathetic," Kuro spat.

"You can't even defend yourself and you expected us to believe that you would help us," asked Syaoran.

"Why Fai-san? I believed in you," said the princess, tears in her eyes, she hugged Mokona tightly. The manju-bun just stared sadly at him.

"You're such a disgusting piece of waste," sneered Kurogane as he turned, leading the children away, "if you're still waiting for someone to save you, then go ahead, I'm not wasting my time on someone who won't even try to save themselves. You're of no use to us anyways."

The group began fading into the darkness while Scarface and his buddies began closing in. As Fai watched his friends walk away from him, the blonde felt the final pieces of his heart shatter. He hadn't known them long, but his companions had become the world to him. They were right, he was useless to him. The only people who wanted him were the people who could take something from him.

The pain began filling his chest again and with it a fire. A fire to consume the pain, to end it once and for all. What was the point of life now that his friends had seen him for what he truly was? The fire grew and crackled around him. The air began to fill with screams and he realized what was happening, too late.

The men's laughter was replaced with tortured screams of pain. In the distance he could hear the shouts of his friends and the scared cries of the princess. Fai could feel the power flowing from his core, engulfing him and everything near him. He was choking, he couldn't stop it.

The magician could see his friends now, their faces filled with fear as his power surrounded them. Fai could hear their screams as the fire engulfed them, followed by the darkness.

The blonde fell to his knees, unable to comprehend what he had just done. The darkness surrounded him and he sobbed. The faces of his companions appeared before him, he could see them in the darkness, he could see the pain and the fear. The other warriors lay around him, shock evident on their faces. Fai could only stare around himself, too shocked to know what to do.

"Will you ever learn control, dear Fai?" Fai rose to his feet, looking around for the voice. "Will you ever learn that I am the only one who will never leave you, the only one who can accept you?"

The blonde's eyes grew large and he gasped quietly, "no."

"Yes," said the smiling figure, slowly emerging from the darkness, stepping over the lifeless bodies of his friends. "A valiant effort my dear one, but futile, you should never have tried to run from me. You should have known the pain you would cause. None of this had to happen."

His knees met the cold ground and he felt the cold truth settle inside of him. A tear fell from his pale chin and a whispered name floated through the air.

Ashura.

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Evil laughter If you're left wondering what the hell is going on after that last scene then my job here is done.

A/N (Part 2): Please do tell me how well I'm keeping them IC, I really am aiming for that. And the chapter names might get a reworking, since I changed my outline I may have to rewrite my poem.

I tried not to let that last scene be too obvious, but I'm not sure if I succeeded. If you don't have a clue what I'm talking about then I succeeded, if you guessed what's going on then I'm torn between wanting to know that you got it and not letting you spoil it for others.

And if anyone thinks they can deal with a relatively obsessive author (Hint, if you hate reading my author's notes and shudder at my blog then just enjoy the story and let someone else do the work), I'm looking for someone who I can bounce ideas off of. Preferably someone who spends a good amount of time online, just email me if you're interested, or IM me, though anyone who doesn't seem to have a grasp on basic punctuation, spelling, or sentence structure probably won't get to help me. I'll understand if I have no offers.

But you know you love me...


	5. Insights Into the Mind of a Warrior

Disclaimer: No I do not own the characters featured herein, nor the anime they come from. But I still love them, and of course love to torture them. 

A/N: Been a long time, sorry but I've had tests every week, one after another. Finally finished this chapter in order to quiet my guilty conscience. It's short, but hopefully it will be insightful and fulfilling, since everyone's been screaming at Kuro to wise up. Now we get to see what's in his head.

I've been working on the manga during my spare time and just got to ch 68 where they verify that Kuro and Fai arrived in Yasha's country 6 months before Sakura and Syaoran landed on the battlefield. Which is good cause it gives me time to work, I was kinda worried about the timeline. I'm going to ignore the fact that their eyes are supposed to instantly turn black though, they will slowly get darker instead.

I'm giving up on the poem I told you about, maybe later I'll pick it up and fix it, but the outline keeps changing and I don't have time to work the poem out.

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Chapter 5: Insight Into the Mind of a Warrior

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Kuro rolled over on his futon, trying to figure out what had woken him. He sat up, eyes sharp and alert even after waking from deep sleep, and looked around the tent letting his eyes fall on the restless form of his companion. Kuro could hear the other man's moans and whimpers from across the tent and watched his thin form tossing about on the other futon.

The warrior rose quietly and crossed the tent, kneeling down beside the blonde. He gazed at the sweat drenched body and noted that for once, Fai's true emotions were on display. Fai muttered something, his voice pleading and full of fear. It broke Kuro's heart to know that whatever was happening wouldn't let the magician rest, day or night.

He gently put a hand on Fai's shoulder, ready to wake the blonde up when the man suddenly quieted and went still, his breathe evening out. Kuro sighed, hoping that the nightmare was over but continuing to watch the smaller man. The face before him hadn't calmed and Kuro was glad he had stayed when the tears began pouring down Fai's cheeks.

The magician trembled and gasped in his sleep before whispering one word, a name, the one thing Kuro would understand no matter what language Fai spoke.

Ashura.

It was time for Fai to wake up. There was no way Kuro was letting him sleep any longer if he was dreaming of someone who always brought so much fear to those blue eyes. The warrior began quietly calling out Fai's name, his hands moved to the blonde's small arms and gently shaking him but Fai reacted violently to his touch.

The smaller man began desperately fighting his unseen enemy and Kuro became afraid that his companion would end up hurting himself. He fought vainly to quiet Fai, calling out his name and finally pinning the man's wrists down. Fai struggled underneath him and his eyes finally shot open wide with panic and fear, Kuro could see that the man was still in his dreams.

Blue eyes stared at Kuro, seemingly unable to comprehend what they were seeing.

"Fai-san, you're safe," he said gently.

"K-kuro-puu," comprehension finally dawned in blue eyes, and Kuro had to suppress a smile, relieved to be hearing his name in such a familiar form. The warrior let go of the man's slender wrists. Fai sat up and ran a hand through his hair, letting his bangs fall over his eyes.

Kuro could see the pain and stress in the magician's pale face before the mask fell into place and Fai smiled at him, waving the warrior back to bed. Fai laid down again, this time on his side, facing away from the warrior.

Kuro stood but didn't move back to his own futon. Instead he remained in place, silently watching Fai's smaller form. At first the warrior honestly hadn't noticed anything wrong with Fai, he had been too caught up being a true warrior once again and had ignored the magician as often as possible.

When he had finally begun to notice that something was off the red-eyed warrior had really wanted to help but hadn't felt like he had the right to interfere. Who exactly did he think he was wanting to rescue Fai when he had no clue what was wrong? Fai was a grown man and could damned well take care of himself. However, it didn't feel right to sit back and watch anymore. Kuro finally believed, no, he KNEW that whatever was happening was too much for his blonde companion.

Red eyes watched as the smaller man began trembling. Kuro knelt down and put a hand on Fai's shoulder rolling the man onto his back. Fai's tear streaked face looked up into his and the two men just stared at each other for a time before Kuro suddenly pulled the blonde into his arms.

Fai gasped and Kuro could feel the man tense and tremble against him. The blonde let out a small fearful sob. Kuro let his grip loosen, hoping to ease his companion's fear but didn't let go of him. Slowly, the smaller body in his arms began to relax. Fai's arms wrapped around Kuro in return and the blonde laid his head on Kuro's bare shoulder. Kuro could still hear Fai sniffling but as the blonde's arms tightened around him the sniffles turned to sobs and his body began shaking anew.

Kuro held Fai tighter and let Fai cry out his pain. He listened to Fai's anguished voice speaking to him, perhaps telling him all that had happened. The warrior just held his companion and murmured soothing nothings, wishing he could understand the poor blonde in his arms.

Eventually Fai's sobbing and shaking quieted and his breathing evened out. Kuro snuck a look at his face and smiled to find the man peacefully asleep. He had denied it at first but now Kuro let the affection he felt for this frail being sneak into his chest. Kuro would never openly admit his feelings to Fai, but as time had passed he had developed a fondness for the blonde The worry he had been feeling only working to confirm Kuro's fears that the magician meant something to him.

Kuro laid the smaller man on the futon, pulling a blanket over the delicate frame and running a finger down one tear stained cheek. He leaned down and laid a soft kiss on Fai's forehead before pulling away to return to his own futon.

No sooner had Kuro risen from the floor that Fai began to whimper and shiver. The warrior knelt once again and lay a hand against blonde hair instantly soothing the distressed magician. Kuro sighed to himself knowing that it was only his presence that would allow the blonde to rest. He lifted the blanket and lay down next to Fai, pulling the magician into his arms once again and letting the blonde head rest against his bare chest. Fai's breathing grew relaxed and Kuro let himself relax as well. It might end up being a long night if Fai began to dream again but Kuro would be close if he did. Before the magician awoke in the morning Kuro would rise and return to his own futon, the magician need not know that Kuro had lay with him all night.

The warrior let a small smile grace his face as he watched the face of the blonde sleeping in his arms. Remembering Fai's wounded wrists, Kuro gently lifted one of Fai's hands and pushed back the sleeve to see how they were healing. He nodded to himself, pleased to see that the ointment had helped them to improve significantly. Once again, he couldn't help but wonder what had caused the man to struggle so much.

He let his eyes wander over the exposed flesh of Fai's neck, curious to see if there had been anymore damage, he noticed a bruise forming at the magician's collar and cautiously pulled back the fabric. The warrior raised his eyebrows at the obvious fingernail marks left on the pale skin, marks that dragged out of sight down the magician's back. He checked the other shoulder and found the same marks. By the formation of the bruises Kuro guessed that the marks had occurred sometime last night when Fai had been locked up.

It was no wonder that the smaller man had reacted to Kuro's touch the way he had, both when he had put a hand on the man's shoulder and when he had pulled the smaller body into his arms. Kuro's eyes narrowed as he contemplated the way Fai could have gotten marks like that on his shoulders and he couldn't help but wonder if they had occurred before of after his impromptu visit last night. The warrior did not like the conclusions he was drawing, someone had taken advantage of Fai's vulnerable position and Kuro could only guess at how much they had hurt the blonde or how far they had gone.

His mind drew up the memory from their first day, when one of the soldiers had grabbed Fai. Kuro had no doubt that someone had indeed made Fai their pet. The warrior's arms tightened protectively around the smaller form. Kuro wondered what other marks might hide out of sight on the thin form, however he couldn't look or else he might wake the sleeping magician.

Anger began to boil within the warrior, anger that the magician acted like he was so helpless. Surely the the blonde could have stopped whoever had hurt him, he could have protected himself. But then he remembered Fai's wrists and the attack that had taken place. It finally sunk in that Fai HAD tried to fight, and failed.

The anger within Kuro grew into a rage at the people who had hurt Fai like this. But Kuro had never found out who the initial attackers were. He only knew that Shozu had been involved somehow. But had the old scared warrior been an attacker, or a witness? It was Kuro's deepest desire to thoroughly punish someone for what had happened to his companion but if the warrior went off half-cocked without any real evidence then HE would be the one punished and then there would be no way to protect Fai.

The only way for him to find out exactly what had been done to Fai was for the man to actually tell him, or else Kuro would have to catch the man's tormentors in the act. It hurt Kuro to think of Fai coming to any more pain. He certainly couldn't confront the magician. Fai hadn't tried to tell him what had happened and wouldn't start now. The magician had hidden himself from their group from the very beginning. Kuro could see that even though Fai cared about his companions, he still viewed himself as an outcast, afraid to draw his friends into his world, into the pain that the magician was hiding. Any confrontation would only serve for Fai to pull his cracking shields more tightly around him.

Kuro could feel his anger at the magician grow again, why could Fai not try to confide in him? Why did he allow himself to be tormented when all he had to do was show Kuro the wounds, the warrior would have understood. Did the man seriously believe it wouldn't happen again? It was obvious that the magician wasn't a willing participant. Even the strong need help sometimes, Kuro could only shake his head, unable to understand.

The warrior pulled back the fabric on Fai's shoulder again and shuddered, staring at the marks there. Just how far had they gone, he didn't want to think that the men had raped Fai, surely that would be the point at which the magician would come to him for help. Kuro shrugged off his feeling of dread, confident that Fai wouldn't let things go that far.Tomorrow he wouldn't let the blonde leave his side. He would watch both Fai and the men around him for some clue as to who the attackers were. Fai's mask wasn't as flawless as the magician might believe, and lately the cracks had grown larger. He vowed he would keep a better eye on his companion, he would do better to protect the blonde from what he couldn't defend himself from.

With these thoughts of protecting his companion Kuro pulled Fai a little closer and did one thing he had already told himself he wouldn't do, he fell asleep.

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A/N: I want your opinion on how you'd like to see the enxt chapter open. I have four possibilities in mind, but if you think of something different, then tell me. Remember, I don't want things moving too fast, that makes the story end sooner. I'm not going to give you details on how I'd work these scenes out, but be guarenteed, I can make any of them interesting. There's just so many possibilities...

1) Fai wakes up alone

2) Fai wakes up thinking he's in Ceres

3) ...not knowing where he is, but wondering why he's in bed with Kuro

4) ... knowing exactly where he is and too sleepy to care how Kuro got there


End file.
